Steel axle.



J. E. SYMONS. STEEL AXLE.

AYPLIOATION FILED DBO.16,1907.

909,963. Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

WITNESSES: m VENTOH L%AM 13. WW. BY

UNTT e TAlT S ra'r STEEL AXLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

Application filed December 16, 1907. Serial No. 406,612.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osrarr E. SYMoNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Steel Axles, of which the following is. a specification.

My invention relates to axles for vehicles, and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a plan view with one end in horizontal section; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with one end in vertical section on a plane at one side of the meeting edges of the sheath; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the metal sheath; t is a cross section on the line M of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a similar cross section of a modification.

Iiikje parts are indicated by the same lett'er in all the figures;

A is a thin sheet metal sheath, the full length of the axle and skeins, open at its upward side between its two ends and folded to form two tapered ends. B is a wood core the full length of the axle and skeins and projecting above the separated edges of the central portion of the sheath. The sheath is preferably crimped or grooved or ribbed at its upper edges as indicated at C, and is held upon the core by the rivets D or bolts E or otherwise as may be found best. The tapered ends of the sheath are marked for convenience AAt, and the tapered ends of the core are marked for convenience B The core fits the sheath snugly at all points. A bearing surface or skein is formed by the tapered tube F which is provided with a collar G and the nut H between which the hub rests. This tapered tube is held in position by the screw bolt J which enters the end of the core.

The details of construction could, 0 course, be greatly altered. I wish my drawto be taken as diagrammatic as it is intended to illustrate one The use and operation of my device are as metal sheath, and the two are permanently such nature that neither alone would be adeform only out of many which might contain my invention. follows: Broadly speaking, he object is to employ a large wooden core with a thin connected, the sheath wrapped around or folded over on the core. They may be of quate to serve as an axle. Thus the wood may be of light and relatively weak mate rial and the sheath may be of thin easily compressible material, thus effecting a great saving on account of the quality of the wood and the quantity of the metal, and at the same time furnisiing materials which can be worked together, the thin sheath being j wrapped around the wood core so as to permanently unite them to form in effect an integral axle. The skein is removable by simply removing the screw bolt which holds it in position. Thethin metal of the open sides of the axle is prevented from displacement by the strengthening crimp, groove or rib formed as suggested in Fig. 5. The upwardly projecting wood portion furnishes means for attachment of the other devices in connection with which the axle is to be used.

The wood portion projects upwardly from the axle so as to be accessible for securing the other parts. A very large or heavy wood axle with a very thin sheath is produced. This wood is not intended in the first instance to afford strength. It is intended to support the sheath which so supported is strong enough to carry the load. The wood is, so to speak, a former around which the load carrying member, the thin metal sheath, is placed. This gives the axle elasticity and springiness. By this means the skein is held on elastically for the nut which holds it is supported by the bolt which is driven into the wood portion of the core. The conical end of the core serves as a former around which the steel can be bent and whereby it can be easily brought to the proper shape for the wood can be easily turned to the desired form.

Broadly speaking, the essential feature of this invention is that there should be a wooden core, preferably perhaps integral or continuous, but not necessarily so, but necessarily with tapered ends of wood, and a sheet metal covering which is wrapped around the core and particularly around the tapered ends which serve as formers. The axle skeins are then forced upon these sheet metal wrappings which lie about the wooden tapered core ends, which, together with such wooden core ends, form a more or less elastic yielding end to receive the skein and accommodate itself to the interior of the skein.

Such a tapering end, it will be seen, is capable of yielding under compression on all points of its surface in order to accommoand illustrated these two ends, they are parts of an integral and continuous core, the upper portion of which is not covered or wrapped though its lower portion is used as a former about which the sheet metal is wrapped and bent. As above explained, where I say wood I mean, of course, a yielding or elastic material of the general nature of wood.

One feature of my invention is realized in a structure of the class described where the sheet metal axle end is associated with a compressible core, whether that core is to be former or not. In that case the skein being forced over the two, would compress them, and thus insure their perfect fit within such skein. While I prefer to'use the interior core or filling as a former about which to wrap the sheath for the purpose of securing the part of my invention here referred to, this would be unnecessary. I have spoken of the core as if it were integral and continuous from end to end. This, for some portions of my invention, is not essential, though I think it is the preferred form.

In axles the skeins must be firmly secured in position. To do this the tapering spindle must be accurately fitted to the interior surface of the skein, or, in other words, the skein must be accurately fitted around its support. If the core in an axle like mine is non-compressible it would have to be turned or machine fitted and would then not be elas- If the fittin is cast iron it will wear and reduce in eective size and hence the advantage of my compressible core inside of the compressible spindle. of wood but it might be made of other compressible or slightly elastic material.

claim:

1. An axle comprising a two part structure consisting of a wooden core with tapered ends and a thin metal sheath inclosing the core, its ends permanently wrapped core projecting upwardly between the skeins and between the sides of the sheath.

An axle comprising a wooden core with :tapered ends and a thin metal sheath inclosmg the core, its ends permanently wrapped The core I makeof th around and set in position about the tapered ends of the core to form metal" covered tapered axle ends to receive the skeins, the upper portions of the sheath between the skeins being grooved, crimped or ribbed.

4. An axle comprising a wooden core with tapered ends and a thin metal sheath inclosing the core, its ends permanently wrapped around and set in position about the tapered ends of the core to form metal covered ta pered axle ends to receive the skeins, such core projecting upwardly between the skeins and between the sides of the sheath, the up per portions of the sheath between the skeins being grooved, crimped or ribbed.v

5. An axle comprising a two part structure consisting of pered ends, and a thin metal sheath inclosing the core, its ends permanently wrapped around and set in position about the tapered covered taskelns and ends of the core to form metal pered axle ends to receive the a wooden core with taskeins secured upon and inclosing said ends,

and transverse securing piecesthrough axle and sheath.

. 6. An axle comprising a wooden core with tapered ends and a thin metal sheath inclosing the core, its ends permanently wrapped around and set in position about the tapered ends of the core to form metal covered tapered axle ends to receive the skeins, such core projecting upwardly between the skeins and between the sides of the sheath, and transverse securing pieces through axle and sheath. 7

7. An axle comprising a wooden core with tapered ends, and a thin metal sheath inclosing the core, its ends permanently wrapped around and set in positionabout the tapered ends of the core to form metal covered tapered axle ends to receive the skeins, the upper portions of the sheath between the skelns eing grooved, crimped or ribbed, and trans verse securing pieces through axle and sheath.

8. An axle comprising a wooden core with tapered ends and a thin metal sheath inclosing .the core, its ends permanently wrapped around and set in position about the tapered ends of the core to form metal covered tapered axle ends to receive the skeins, such coreprojecting upwardly between the skeins and between the sides of the sheath, the upper portions of the sheath between the skeins being grooved, crimped or ribbed, and transverse securing pieces through axle and sheath. 7

9. An axle comprising a two part structure consisting of a wooden core with tapered core, its ends permanently wrapped around and set in position about the tapered ends e core to form metal covered tapered axle ends to receive the skeins and skeins ,ends, and a thin metal sheath inclosing the .125

secured upon and inclosing said ends, and a bolt driven into the core ends and adapted to hold the skeins in position.

10. An axle comprising a wooden core with tapered ends, and a thin metal sheath inclosing the core, its ends permanently wrapped around and set in position about the tapered ends of the core to form metal covered tapered axle ends to receive the\ skeins, such core projecting upwardly bet tween the skeins and between the sides of the sheath, and a bolt driven into the core ends and adapted to hold the skeins in position.

11. An axle, comprising a core containing uniformly compressible tapered wooden ends, and a thin metal sheath wrapped about and inclosing such tapered ends to form yielding ends and skeins forced onto such tapered wood-filled inclosed ends.

12. An axle comprising a wooden core with uniformly compressible tapered ends and a thin metal sheath inclosing the core, its ends permanently wrapped aroun an set in position about the tapered ends of the core to form metal covered tapered axle ends to receive the skeins and skeins secured upon and inclosing said ends.

13. An axle comprising a wooden core with uniformly compressible tapered ends, and a thin metal sheath inclosing the core, its ends permanently Wrapped around and set in position about the tapered ends of the core to form metal covered tapered axle ends to receive the skeins and skems secured upon and inclosing said ends, and transverse securing pieces through axle and sheath.

14:. An axle comprising a wooden core with uniformly compressible tapered ends, and a thin metal sheath inclosing the core,

its ends permanently wrapped around an r set in position about the tapered ends of the core to form metal covered tapered axle ends to receive the skeius and skeins secured upon and inclosing said ends, and a bolt driven into the core ends and adapted to hold the slreins in position.

15. An axle comprising sheath, its ends tapered and capable of uniform compression, with a compressible filling within such ends, and a skein adapted to be forced onto such end so as to compress the same.

16. An axle comprising a central or body portion with two tapering ends each consisting of a uniformly compressible tapered core, a uniformly compressible sheet metal covering for such core, and a skein forced onto such end.

17. An axle comprising a core containing homogeneous tapered ends, a thin metal sheath wrapped about and inclosing such tapered ends so as to form uniformly yielding ends, and skeins forced upon such tapered homogeneous inclosed en ds JOSIAH E. SYMONS.

a thin sheet metal \Vitnesses C. H. JAMESON, M. H. TAIT. 

